Bad Blood

Katy Perry Keeps the Taylor Swift Rumors Alive in Her New Single

Thursday night, Katy Perry dropped new song “Swish Swish,” off her impending June 9 album, Witness, and fans are listening even harder than usual. The song features Nicki Minaj as well as a particular line that, depending on whom you ask, may or may not refer to Perry’s years-long feud with Taylor Swift. But even if it is the Swift response her fans have been craving, Perry’s new lyrics prove that she’s holding fast to her well-polished tactic of saying something without really saying anything.

The lyrics in question, which appear just as the song begins its pop-y beat:

No, she doesn’t mention Swift by name, or “red lips“ or “maple lattes“ or anything else that might point directly to her. And Perry promised Entertainment Weekly earlier this month that the album was not about “any one person.“ But look at what she said next:

“One thing to note is: you can’t mistake kindness for weakness and don’t come for me. Anyone. Anyone. Anyone. Anyone. And that’s not to any one person and don’t quote me that it is, because it’s not. It’s not about that.”

Doesn’t that sound a good bit like, “Don't come for me/No, not today“?

Minaj’s involvement is an even stronger hint. Minaj and Swift’s heated Twitter exchange before last year’s V.M.A.s had fans wondering if another feud was in the works. The two thenhugged it out onstage during the show. . . but does this Katy Perry collaboration mean the feud is back on? Plenty of Twitter users think they’re on the case:

Finally, look at the visuals for the song: a bejeweled hand holding a receipt that says, “Karma Coffee and Tea.” Remember what we said about maple lattes?!? This goes way deep. . . and/or could be about anyone who’s crossed Perry during her long Hollywood career. Either way, she’s putting across one consistent message: the commentary in this song will likely be as far as she goes. At least until the next album.

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